The Shadow of Will
by PinkWhirlWind
Summary: Set in the war, Duo is dreaming of Heero, but Duo and Wufei are on a mission... and as cover they've enrolled in a school. Well, really it was a sweeper hacker that enrolled them... how was he to know it was a school for the blind.


The Shadow of Will

The Shadow of Will

by Nix Winter

Disclaimer: Duo Maxwell and Chang Wufei are so not my characters. The universe is a little generic, but GW-ish. In the US GW is owned by Bandai. I need to look up the original writers. They don't get enough recognition.

Story Note: Set during the war. It's a 1+2, leading to more, depending on how long this thread goes.

Personal Note: I'm sitting in the SF Airport waiting for a friend so we can take the shuttle over to Yaoi con. Anyone going to be at the GW meet and greet?

Blue water stretched out, lazy and forgiving. The ferry rippled it a little as the ferry pressed on towards Kerry Island, where the new safe house was. It was more a school than a house, but Duo rather liked the idea of a 'safe house'. It made him think that they were a family, that they'd all be back together by Christmas. Leaning over the railing, he wanted to imagine that he could reach all the way down, trail his fingers over the clean blue water and it would be like touching Heero's eyes.

Heero's eyes were the great untouchable. The warm sun laying on Duo's face could have been Heero's smile. It was like Heero's sheer existence had uncovered a arched garden door, behind which Duo just knew there was the most fantastic garden ever. Too fantastic for Earth even. Like all great mysteries, Heero didn't seem inclined to notice at all.

"What are you doing," Chang asked, standing proper as some eternally tragic servant in a great Chinese castle somewhere. Probably a castle in the clouds, and he was sentenced there after his wife died.

Duo pursed his lips, look up slowly, not wanting to leave the warm sun on his face, which he was happily fantasizing was one of Heero's smiles. "Wu. I'm leaning on the railing, watching the water, killing time."

Dark disapproving eyes looked over the railing at the water without any head movement at all. "I have completed the homework."

That was not so fancy code phrase or having memorized a ton of crap about their target. "That's great," Duo said, smiling brightly.

"Have you completed the homework," Chang asked pointedly, fingers playing with the edge of his sleeve cuff.

Both of them were already in the dark blue uniforms of their new school. The school just happened to be near a research lab that was rumored to like human test subjects. Their mistake to have taken a sweeper girl who had been on Earth. She was going to be an expensive penny for them. Got to be careful what you pick up from the dirty sidewalk. Never know when it was going to be fucking important to someone.

Duo looked back up, not sure just how long he'd been watching the water again. He flashed his grin again, knowing it wasn't going to do more than irritate Chang. "Don't worry about it."

The small sound, kinda like teeth grinding together, but not quite getting there, was Chang just not appreciating the real plan.

"Hello boys," a gentle voice said. The teacher responsible for bringing the new students across from the main land to Kerry Island had to be eighty if he was a day. L2 just didn't have old people like this. Either people just didn't get all like crumpled up drawings of themselves or they didn't get that old. Duo didn't know which, didn't know which he liked better either. The man was a good ten cm shorter than either of them, hands behind his back, white hair neat around his face as if snow drifted into just the right places. His dark eyes were warm though, in a way that Chang's never were, even if they were both dark as a power failure. "What homework might that be? Are you still attending another school?"

"Grandfather," Chang said, bowing politely. "We refer to private tasks between ourselves. Blue and I like to challenge ourselves."

"I see. You both seem to have excellent sight."

Duo bit his lip, eyes narrowing nervously for a moment. "I'm David Blue. This overachieving buddy of mine is Leon Wu. We're new."

"Blue and Wu," the old man said, a white eyebrow arching. "How old are you boys?"

"Sixteen," Duo said, hands now shoved in his pockets, braid swaying slightly.

"My name is Professor Sung. You missed lunch."

"I'm sorry, Professor Sung," Duo said.

"Come with me."

When he walked away, they had little real choice other than to walk with him. The raised lines on the deck hadn't been much of an issue before, but Duo noted them now. The dining room was dimly lit, surprisingly so.

A waiter met them, bowing so quickly that it just left Duo with an uneasy feeling. "Professor Sung, who are your guests?"

There it was. The waiter's eyes were milky. Goosebumps ran up Duo's arms. The sweepers woulda fixed that up for him. The solution mighta been a bit less than perfectly pretty, but it would have worked. Earth was a very strange place. A fairytale place and maybe the man had traded his eyes for the life of a loved one. Maybe there was a story somewhere, where he couldn't get medical treatment to fix them up.

"New students," Professor Sung said. "The one with the light quick step is David Blue. The one with the hard soled shoes is Leon Wu. They are a little older than most of our new students. Boys, this is Mr. Smith. He works part time for the ferry and he works for the school as well."

"It'll be good for them," Smith said nodding. "You boys have to trust Professor Sung. He did good by me. Kerry Institute is a good place. Don't be rebellious. No matter how hard things have been before, and I know it must be hard to lose your sight as teenagers, but they can help you there."

Chang ground his teeth in a very nearly soundless half choke.

""I'm David. I got my moments," Duo said, sounding truly repentant. "I'll do my best not to cause'em any trouble."

"I don't place your accent," Mr. Smith said.

"Sweeper," Duo said. "I grew up with the Sweepers."

"On a spaceship? Aren't those people like… Gypsies?"

"Now," Professor Sung said reproachfully, "There's nothing wrong with Gypsies or Sweepers. The boys were late to lunch. Can we have some sandwiches?"

"We were making burgers for dinner," Mr. Smith said. "I can have a couple of those for you."

"David? Leon?"

"Man, that'd be great," Duo said, his stomach growling not nearly as quietly as Chang's teeth grinding. "Can I have two? Please?"

"Sure," Mr. Smith said, smirking a bit. "Growing boys need to eat. Leon?"

"Anything will be fine," Chang said, body stiff as a chopstick.

"Okay, you're not from the Sweepers" Mr. Smith said, one hand on a hip. "Somewhere on Earth, yeah?"

"I am from San Francisco," Chang lied. His accent was much finer, slightly Chinese edged and educated though.

"So what happened? Can I ask?" Mr. Smith tilted his head, eyes falling closed for a long blink.

"I would prefer not to speak of it," Chang said.

The blush on his face must have burned, Duo thought. Must have been a red hot poker through his eye that cause him his sight.

"There was a plague, when I was a kid," Duo said, "I just couldn't get here till now. Sweepers got other ways. I was just a special case, always getting myself in trouble."

Mr. Smith laughed. "Well, no more of that then! Do what you're told and you'll learn a lot. Maybe you'll get rich some day and get some implants. But you were pretty young when you lost your sight, yeah?"

"I was really young when the plague happened," Duo said honestly. "So? I can really have two burgers? Do you make fries?"

"I don't. I'm not getting anywhere near boiling oil. I bet Betty can do some fries for you. Professor how about you all take table three?"

"That would be wonderful. I think these boys can have some pop too, if you have some."

"We do, strawberry and cola."

"I would prefer tea, please," Chang said, face still red.

"Cola, please."

"Let me get that for you then," Mr. Smith said. "The rest of them, they're already down in the story room."

"Thank you so much," Professor Sung said, reaching to catch the waiter's hand, holding it between both hands. "Your trust in me has always been most appreciated. I wish the new boys to be a quiet fact."

"Oh," Mr. Smith said, now holding the old Professor's in his. "Of course, Professor, anything that works for you. Table three, okay?"

They stood there for another moment as Mr. Smith walked away. "It's a little narrow, boys," Professor Sung said, reaching to guide Chang's hand to Duo's arm. He took Duo's hand and laid it over his arm, so that he could lead his new students to table three.

Chang was doing that silent tooth grinding, but he'd turned his hand in to a crab claw intent on killing it's prey too. Duo's eye twitched, but he didn't say a word. If Crab Wu left marks on his arm, he was gonna be sure to give them back though.

They sat down. Students on one side, teach on the other. Professor Sung took at least three minutes positioning his napkin. He took a deep breath and asked, "Why are you here?"

Extra note: I stopped here because I'm at the hotel now and have net only in the living room.. and because Duo and Wufei need time to think up an answer 


End file.
